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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147953">Atin'la</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crqstalite/pseuds/crqstalite'>crqstalite</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow of The Sith - EU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ba'shira Cadera, F/M, mierrio revel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:35:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147953</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crqstalite/pseuds/crqstalite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mandalorian for tough.</p><p>Evidently, Ziost was not the first time that Ba'shira and Mierrio met under dire circumstances.</p><p>Also, not the first time Torian's had a heart attack because of his cyar'ika.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andronikos Revel/Female Sith Inquisitor, Female Bounty Hunter/Torian Cadera</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow of The Sith - EU [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Atin'la</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Sith!"</em>
</p><p>Everything is moving too quickly for anyone to acknowledge what's going on outside their own two feet hitting the ground in rapid succession. There's nothing else <em>to </em>acknowledge other than their own two feet hitting the ground as they run for their literal lives.</p><p>For this alone, Ba'shira has already decided she is never visiting Makeb again, for a Sith's grand plan for repairing the mess their infighting (Ba'shira now knew why Mandalorians didn't really interact with Sith -- and would keep in mind to keep her distance next time one came knocking) had caused or otherwise. Considering the planet was about to blow it's top while they were still on it, there might not even <em>be</em> a Makeb to visit later down the line. Getting out of the drill shaft, where it's dark, dingy and <em>falling apart on top of them</em> is her first priority over everything else. Finishing the mission be damned, Katha, Cytharat and Marr would have to deal with failure if it meant she could see the light of another day.</p><p>Both Mandalorians are taking up the rear of their small party, that being them and the Sith Lord and her husband. How they'd gotten stuck together, she wasn't entirely sure. Why Marr had requested Nox's assistance with the technically Imperial world was understandable. Why the man (was he man under all that armor? She knew her and Torian's beskar'gam was extensive but at least they still knew they were human underneath it all) had hired her, was another mystery entirely. Great Hunt Champion or not, there was about a thousand reasons why she wasn't qualified to deal with a planet that was dying from extensive mining of some mineral or the other, and another thousand for why she deserved way more than just hazard pay for this job.</p><p>Hell, there weren't enough credits for this bantha dung of a mission.</p><p>Ba'shira is throwing a look over her shoulder every few moments to see whether or not the surviving Regulators had followed them through the shaft. Yes, she'd left them wounded and Nox had shocked them to oblivion and back but you never knew at the best of times. Humans, Zabraks, Rattataki, you name it, they tended to be way more resilient than expected. </p><p>Hearing the yelling in front of her, Ba'shira pauses for a moment to assess the situation, and she can see where the high, rock ceiling is coming apart before them, making the path to safety more and more perilous as the moments pass. There will be dings and dents in her beskar for days after this, and while it's an excuse to spend more time with Torian, she's afraid the metal won't continue to hold up under all the abuse it's taking. Or there won't be a her underneath it all to spend time with.</p><p>Riveting her gaze towards the nearly hysterical pirate in front of them, Nox had paused, turning to look at her husband with a confused and worried look in her eyes as she tries to make out what he says to her. Gaze darting around before falling on the issue in question, Ba'shira curses in Mando'a (means the translations have finally been sticking, <em>exactly</em> when she doesn't need them) and quickly realizes why Andronikos had yelled for her. A boulder is growing loose from the ceiling.</p><p>Nox has paused in exactly the right place to get <em>crushed</em>.</p><p>Nox herself looks up too late to do much about it, and her amber yellow eyes widen in fear before holding her hands up as if to protect herself. Sith were odd, but even she was sure that the woman couldn't keep the inevitable from happening. Essentially, Nox has paused for much too long, and Ba'shira groans and does the only thing she knows is right, even though it's sure to get her killed if she hesitates for even a moment. A running start as the boulder begins to fall, she activates her jetpack in a split second and blasts forward. Knocking the wind out of the Sith Lord and out of the way of the rock of death, dust gathers around them as the boulder falls, the shadow of the boulder growing larger and larger on the ground as the seconds pass. Nox has been pushed out of the way, and she's gearing up to blast her own way out. But, it's as if time speeds up, and she can barely getting a finger to the button before she sees the boulder out of the corner of her eyes.</p><p>The last thing Ba'shira sees is the woman skidding to the ground with a look of panic and confusion on her dirtied, pale face, and the yell of her name in Torian's voice over the rumbling of the groundquake as she tries her best to get up and run.</p><p>She can see the flash of tan as Torian runs for her, and all she can yell is a solemn, <em>"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, cyar'ika."</em></p><p>Well, that would be a nice ending to her. A nice obituary for the underworld if she even ended up that popular. Least her last words wouldn't be obscenities. Torian would live on knowing he taught her something in Mando'a, as unteachable and insufferable as she was.</p><p>And in death, Sith couldn't bother her to go to unstable planets and fight their wars anymore.</p><p>-</p><p>Except, it seemed this Sith wanted to continue tormenting her for a bit longer.  Ba'shira can barely believe it herself, as she holds her breath, waiting for her body to black out. But she's still sore, and the beskar is heavy against her body. </p><p>Cracking open one eye, and then the other, she's in shock as she finds that the boulder is levitating just above her. She's not dead, at least not yet. The rumbling is still deafening around her, and the rock is just barely tapping the toe of her boot. A moment later, it lowers by just a millimeter again. She panics, thinking she's only cheated death for a few moments. She can't move, her whole foot is almost being crushed, she can't say anything in fear it'll bring her end about faster. All before it's being thrown to the side and she can see the extended cave again. A loud crash sounds and she instinctively rolls onto her side to block the worst of it hitting her front.</p><p>
  <em>She's alive.</em>
</p><p>Ba'shira Cadera has finally crossed that off her bucket list -- cheating death. Mako would not believe it if they made it back in one piece. The Mandalorian woman is nearly hyperventilating at this point before she really registers that she's still breathing, that she's has all her limbs, that she's still <em>alive</em>.</p><p>She's in-between crying and laughing -- both out of being grateful for her saving grace (whatever it was) or chuckling at death's inability to finish the job. It's already bubbling up and out of her throat as she chucks her helmet off, and it clatters to the ground beside her while she sits up, hunched over. Running a hand through her sweaty hair, she blinks a couple times to get the dust out and tries to register her surroundings again. Torian comes back into view as she begins to remember she's not alone, and the Sith Lord and her husband looked genuinely relieved as the three of them come over to her. </p><p>That was new. Nox didn't seem to care for her safety as much as she did the pirate's, but if she had been the one to yank the boulder off her as the only force sensitive in the vincinty, she guessed she owed her life to the Sith now.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p><p>Her first concern is very much Torian (after she's come to this conclusion), he's taken off his own helmet and throws it down to hold his forehead against hers as they both throw their arms around the other. For a moment, he's the only thing going on in the world, no matter how hot they both are underneath their layers of armor or how close to death both of the came in the last few hours. It's as if she can't touch enough of him, trying to remind him that she's here and she's alive and that she's okay, "<em>Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur</em>, Torian. I'm okay, <em>cyar'ika</em>."</p><p>There may be a chuckle she didn't catch, because he helps her up and a relieved smile crosses his face. If she can joke, she can breathe, "<em>Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum</em>" He responds softly. Considering their current company, he doesn't make to kiss her, but instead is happy enough to squeeze her hand in his. She squeezes back before grabbing her helmet and holding it under an arm. It's dented beyond belief, and even being adopted into a clan, she's not sure where in hell to acquire more of the metal.</p><p>"Looks like whatever's going down now, we aren't leaving for a while." The gruff voice of the pirate snaps her back to reality as both of their allies approach them. They're still stuck down here, and by the defeated look on the Sith Lord's pale face in the dim blue light of the staticky communicator, they've lost com connection as well. It made enough sense during the quake, but if they're truly stuck down here, Ba'shira has a few ideas that would get out of there faster.</p><p>Rockets, mostly. But she could be persuaded otherwise. Missiles were always an option.</p><p>"Thank you though, for that. Y'know, risking you're life like that for her." Is his follow-up sentence. This is the first time they've spoken seriously since they met two weeks ago, and Ba'shira can see the relief written all over his face even if he attempts to hide it beneath the bravado and quick draw action he shows off to them. The Sith nods absentmindedly, her attentions clearly not with them right then, "You didn't have to nearly sacrifice yourself for her, but you did."</p><p>"'Course. Wasn't going to just let her die like that. I knew if I could, I should. And I did." She responds, "Know no one wants to go home without their wife. Wasn't going to let that happen to you. Are we really stuck here though?"</p><p>"The shaft has been cut off entirely. It'd take hours to blast through it, but if I could just--" the Sith looks to where they'd come from, and where the entrance had been before looking down at her hands. The woman is unnecessarily pale, and she clearly has a headache of some sort by the way she keeps blinking and rubbing her temples. Her husband cuts her off rather quickly.</p><p>"Sith, you're <em>not</em> pulling a stunt like that again. Corsha took a lot out of you, and you're not making your recovery any smoother by chucking rocks triple the size of you." He says sternly. Ba'shira considers making the note that the maybe 5"3 woman was going to be smaller than everything they come across, but holds her tongue. Now she's curious about this Corsha person, and wonders if someone had tried to kill her. If she's being honest, it wouldn't be surprising with her personality and reputation.</p><p>"Thankful for our lives, really. But if it's too much for you to even attempt that, Torian and I still have some firepower left over." She responds instead, considering that boulder could've made her a Mandalorian pancake had the Sith not overexerted herself and not feeling as bad about it now, "Might take a bit, especially with those monsters we encountered earlier depleting most of any weapons we have."</p><p>"Niar hasn't responded to our calls yet either. Figure she'll get a crew down here soon, but Cytharat was the only force user capable of something like that. It'll take ages for anyone to get through there with anything short of a firing crew." He says, confirming her worst suspicions, "We just gotta sit tight for a while until we can get in contact with anyone at this point."</p><p>"They wouldn't leave a Sith Lord to die down here. Me, maybe, Marr probably couldn't give less of a kriffing shit about me, but he wouldn't let her go. I say two hours, maybe three tops before we're home free." She says nonchalantly. Marr wouldn't let Nox die, maybe her enemies on the Council (if she had any, and maybe this Corsha person while they were at it) would, but she prays that by association she gets out of this as well. Ba'shira has debts she hasn't paid yet, and Mako, Gault, and Blizz would be hunted down by the Cartel if she didn't pay those back. Even through death, the Hutts always got their money back.</p><p>The Sith slumps against her husband only a few moments later, clearly out of it and exhausted. Ba'shira (and her two companions) originally assume she's really gone and kicked the bucket, but later she learns the woman had given birth only a few months earlier (Corsha was her first biological child and it had been a trying pregnancy for her, according to Andronikos. Ba'shira had also finally learned their names properly during this conversation) and had forced herself back onto the battlefield. Currently suffering from Force Exhaustion, no wonder she'd passed out, running a fever and breathing hard. Kolto couldn't exactly be administered in this situation except for minor scratches and injuries here and there, but their minimal supplies of water and rations are dealt out accordingly to deal with everyone's waning battle highs. They manage to do some damage, but other than trying to keep Mierrio and everyone cool, there isn't much else to do but wait as advised. Ba'shira can't even get in contact with the Mantis, and time ticks by on her chrono</p><p><em>Six hours. </em>They spend six hours under all the rubble until they manage to loosen the rubble enough to blast their way out with the minimal assistance of another ground team with shovels (she wonders if she can convince the semi-conscious Mierrio to advocate for better recovery teams, they wouldn't have spent nearly as long in the tunnel if they had more than measly shovels). It goes about business as usual, though the Revels would be out of the operation for a day or two for the woman to recover her strength. Ba'shira's nearly sad to see her go, before also remembering that the woman was partially the reason she was here and the reason she had to cheat death to begin with.</p><p>As soon as they're back on solid ground, making to return to their lodgings for the evening, Ba'shira and Torian find themselves alone overlooking the mesas of Makeb, sun setting over the ridges as the cool wind blows by.</p><p>It'd be a pretty day, was she not still thinking about the incident from earlier that had been brushed off so easily by Niar and her team. Yet again, why Ba'shira didn't prefer working with Imperials. They never ceased to be frustratingly reclusive and apathetic at the worst of times. Sure Ba'shira had enough apathy to go around the whole crew twice, but still. She'd be way more concerned about her team's safety, especially considering she was on their payroll.</p><p>There's no ceremony, not anything preceding before they seem to both have the same idea at once. Taking each other in their arms once out of sight of any other Imperials, and kissing the other hard, as if they haven't seen each other in ages. If she's being honest, between being shot at, and being choked out by a Sith Lord, this has to be one of her worst near death experiences. Ba'shira had never been gung ho about saving other people, her own hide meant more to her than anyone elses', but she'd kick ass for her cyare's life. She hated being in tight spaces anyways, and that split second that she thought she was going to die there in a musty tunnel with two people she couldn't care less about and her Torian looking as if he wanted to save her himself set a panic in her. It wasn't just her anymore either, aside from her crew that she treated like family, Torian was the one man who honestly respected her not for how she looked, but how she fought and her personality.</p><p>And she had almost lost him.</p><p>Returning to their quarters that night, Ba'shira and Torian spend their time cleaning off their beskar and repairing what they can before the sun rises again. The new paint job she'd only gotten weeks before their mission to Makeb had come off in streaks and she cursed every time she found a grey area where the coloring had come off. The deep maroon and tangerine orange had been such a nice choice beforehand, but she'd been cheap just this once and had chosen a lower quality paintjob. The damage could've been worse, and she's glad there are only a few places she needs to get an armorsmith to bang back into place. The helmet, she'd have to go without until they were done with this planet, but Torian reassures her that he won't wear his if she doesn't wear hers.</p><p>Maybe it was time for a new color. Pink hadn't gone too well with the orange, but a coral color could go nicely with it. Orange, for a 'lust for life' and pink, for respecting someone. All things her cyare had told her, and sleeping against him that night, she's halfway in between regretting saving the wife and mother of two because of the distress she'd put him in, but at the same time glad because it meant she was upholding her code. There was no honor in leaving the woman to die if there was something she could do about it. While she was sure that even if she wasn't Mandalorian that he'd still care for her, she's happy she was able to find a medium between being one and being herself.</p><p>"Hey, Torian?" She whispers, late at night and laying on her side. He's still awake, if not blearily. His cyan blue eyes take a moment to focus on her, but when they do it's as if her body temperature has gone up a few degrees. Only one of the many reasons she married him, she would swim in his eyes for hours if she could.</p><p>"Somethin' wrong?" He asks, just as quiet. Ba'shira smiles, she wonders if she looks just as young as him, or whether he can tell what she's about to say.</p><p>"No, nothing's wrong, cyar'ika." She answers after a pause, "I love you."</p><p>He doesn't seem surprised though, the corners of his lips pulling upwards with a soft smile.  He gently pulls her closer, and presses a kiss to her forehead, before leaning his forehead against her's. Even without their helmets, it's a natural reaction to both of them now, "I love you too, 'Shira."</p><p>"Bet you're glad you taught me all that Mando'a now, huh?"</p><p>"Haven't started cursing in it yet. See that as a good thing." He answers, a smirk on his face as she rolls her eyes, "Remember you wanting to get me out of my armor first."</p><p>"Details, details..."</p><p>-</p><p>It isn't until nearly eleven years later that she meets the infamous Corsha Revel that had given her mother so much trouble the year after her birth. Given, she's missing her father and younger brother (she was not the youngest anymore, and Ba'shira was curious why Mierrio hadn't stopped with her if Force Exhaustion was so prevalent with her), but the girl is a fiesty thing. Her fiery personality reminds her immediately of the pirate and the Sith, and it's hard not to take her under her wing until Andronikos returns. Essentially, she handles the girl's shooting skills until her father takes over.</p><p><em>Gar taldin ni jaonyc</em>. It was a phrase that Torian often reflected on that he thought was a good summary of his life. At first, he hadn't told her what exactly it meant, until he had after they'd allied with Tormen for good. "<em>Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be</em>", apparently. Until she'd met Corsha and Ronin, and really registered the people that they were, from the people who had raised them, she didn't fully understand the meaning behind the phrase. Later, she did.</p><p>Mandalorians valued family, legacies, maybe more than even the Sith did. Ba'shira had never been the type to want children, before Zakuul had attacked, her life plan was to get rich and then die rich. Kids be damned. Torian had never aired a concern to her that they were getting too old to have them, but she was coming up on her thirty first birthday, she's beginning to realize Clan Cadera is going to die with the last Mandalorians with the name.</p><p>Ba'shira's mothers had died long before they could've taught her anything useful about motherhood. Now, she was curious. Could her body even handle carrying a child to full-term after all the abuse she'd put it through over the years? Considering her own adoption in Mandalore's clan, she figured there wasn't anything against adopted children carrying on a Clan name.</p><p>Did she, Ba'shira Cadera, even <em>want</em> kids?</p><p>After Darvannis, seeing so many Mandalorians all in one place again, she thinks about it again. The <em>Orchid</em> had been no place to bring a child into the galaxy, with all the sharp edges and the Jawa with the sharp edges. Odessen in wartime wasn't really either, but the Revel children had quickly adapted to their new surroundings. They were also ranging in ages from thirteen to ten though.</p><p>A dark haired or blonde little boy or girl, running about an causing a ruckus alongside their parents. Or a Twi'lek, or a Zabrak, or a Chiss, or hell even a Pureblood if she's getting really crazy. Any kid of her's, biological or otherwise, would be loved.</p><p><em>Another day</em>, she thinks, getting to her feet and readjusting her helmet, <em>another day to think about these things. Can't catch a bounty if I can't see over my own two feet.</em></p><p>Another day won, for Clan Cadera.</p><p> </p>
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